GoNOMAD's newest contributor Elayne Badrigian looks forward to a future of traveling the world and experiencing new cultures. With Paris, California, Aruba and Oregon under her belt, she looks forward to expanding her horizons.

After graduating from UMass with a bachelor's degree in journalism and some knowledge of wildlife conservation, she is thrilled to have the opportunity to travel and hopefully come across a menagerie of animals while she's at it.

High school students across the nation have at least one thing in common…a longing for summer vacation. When it finally arrives, many will take jobs at the mall or a local restaurant, but the majority will not travel abroad and volunteer in countries around the world. Projects Abroad, a global leader in international volunteer programs, offers high school students the opportunity to separate themselves from the pack.

Full-time students, ages 16 to 19, can participate in Projects Abroad’s two-week volunteer projects, which are available in 27 countries around the world. The projects combine fulltime work with an exciting half-point weekend excursion, so students can have an enjoyable exploration of the country while making a positive impact on their host communities.

This summer, join in Germany’s celebration of the 125th anniversary of the car by taking part in a multitude of events on the theme of the automobile with special exhibitions at three state-of-the-art museums.

Mercedes-Benz…BMW…Porsche... all car brands that scream luxury, class, and style just as loudly as the noise of their engines. Over the past 125 years, their interior and exterior designs have changed dramatically, but the goal of building vehicles of high quality and excellence in functionality has never faltered. Germany remains the epicenter of fine car building, and they're celebrating with a long list of activities centered on the automobile.

Pop culture historian Chris Epting was 13 years old when he became a giant fan of the Rolling Stones. His "emotional attachment" to rock 'n' roll was formed when his father took him to see Mick Jagger and the gang at Madison Square Garden on June 22, 1975.

Now, Chris' son, at the same age as he was, is able to identify a Bob Dylan song on the radio by its title, reminding Chris once again, the great influence music has on our lives and that fact that it is passed down from generation to generation.

For anyone who has never visited Gloucester, Massachusetts, the image they often associate it with most is actor George Clooney’s handsome face. Indeed, the actor helped make the small fishing town on the Bay State’s rocky coast famous for both its long time fishing tradition and tragedy.

The Bass Rocks Ocean Inn has numerous copies of the Clooney movie, “The Perfect Storm,” available for its guests. “That’s always a popular one for our guests, so we keep plenty of those in the collection,” said Ellen, an innkeeper at the oceanfront hotel. But Gloucester is much more than just George Clooney’s pretty face.

Since 2000, GoNOMAD Travel has provided travelers with inspiring travel articles, photos from destinations around the world, and a community of like-minded travelers who are seeking to learn about the world and share their travels with others.